Improvement of Mechanical Strength of Tissue Engineering Scaffold Due to the Temperature Control of Polymer Blend Solution

Abstract

Polymeric scaffolds made of PCL/PLCL (ratio 1:3, respectively) blends have been developed by using the Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS) process. A new additional technique has been introduced in this study by applying pre-heat treatment to the blend solution before the TIPS process. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of the pre-heat treatment on mechanical properties. The mechanical evaluation showed that the mechanical strength of the scaffolds (including tensile strength, elastic modulus, and strain) improved as the temperature of the polymer blend solution increased. The effects on the microstructure features were also observed, such as increasing strut size and differences in phase separation morphology. Those microstructure changes due to temperature control contributed to the increasing of mechanical strength. The in vitro cell study showed that the PCL/PLCL blend scaffold exhibited better cytocompatibility than the neat PCL scaffold, indicated by a higher proliferation at 4 and 7 days in culture. This study highlighted that the improvement of the mechanical strength of polymer blends scaffolds can be achieved using a very versatile way by controlling the temperature of the polymer blend solution before the TIPS process.

The effect of alginate scaffolds on bone healing in defects formed with drilling model in rat femur diaphysis

“…Besides, a wide OH peak was seen at 3258 cm −1 . Shifting of the bands indicated that there is non‐covalent interaction between TA, TBC, and alginate 33 . Interpenetrating polymer fibers can exert blend characteristics during in vivo and in vitro studies 34 …”

“…Shifting of the bands indicated that there is noncovalent interaction between TA, TBC, and alginate. 33 Interpenetrating polymer fibers can exert blend characteristics during in vivo and in vitro studies. 34 F I G U R E 1 Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and macroscopic photographs of Alg-nHA (A, B), Alg-TA-nHA (C, D) and Alg-TBC-nHA (E, F) scaffolds.…”

Investigation of Soft Matter Nanomechanics by Atomic Force Microscopy and Optical Tweezers: A Comprehensive Review

“…Then, Young’s modulus can be obtained from Equation (1). Tensile testing experiments have been carried out to address the mechanical properties of biodegradable cornstarch- [ 112 ], starch/dolomite- [ 113 ] or lignocellulosic- [ 114 , 115 ] based polymers, hydrogels made by carbon dots, hydroxyapatite and polyvinyl acetate [ 116 ] or chitosan-poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) double network [ 117 ], natural-rubber-modified flame-retardant organic montmorillonite [ 118 ] or chlorhexidine-loaded poly (amido amine) [ 119 ] dendrimers, blends consisting of fibrillar polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate [ 120 ] or poly ε-caprolactone/poly-(lactide-co-ε-caprolactone (PLCL) [ 121 ], polyurethane [ 122 ] and polyethylene [ 123 ] foams, organosilicone elastomer liquid crystals [ 124 ], and skeletal muscle tissues [ 125 ] or PLCL layered sheets with mesenchymal stem cells [ 126 ].…”

3D Printing Applications for Craniomaxillofacial Reconstruction: A Sweeping Review

“…This prolonged resorption time may interfere with proper bone regeneration within the defect site if a shorter healing period is expected. For this reason, PCL has been successfully copolymerized with hydrogels, like collagen, to augment its resorption kinetics while still providing the scaffold great mechanical strength. , The addition of collagen also improves the scaffold’s osteoconductive properties, which are lessened if PCL is used alone. Furthermore, several composite PCL-mineral scaffolds have been compared to evaluate potential osteointegrative enhancement.…”